I spend most of my time behind a camera. At my day job or on my own time, I either have a camera in my hand or I am editing photos and video. One thing I don't do very often is get in front of the camera. There is something frustrating about knowing what to say to pose someone and not understanding how to handle posing myself while being photographed.
This however is a very different example from the normal photos I have had taken in the past. This past December, I had the privilege of assisting Daniel Krieger, a food and wedding photographer out of New York, on a wedding in Charleston, South Carolina. I had never met Daniel before the day of the gig but I had researched his work a good bit and was excited to work with a real pro. Right after meeting for a quick lunch we were awaiting details and he saw an interesting shadow that he wanted to use and quickly asked me to stand in a particular place and where to look. It was quick but easy. That is really what I want t strive for from now on. The thing that made this photo so easy to pose for was that it happened before awkwardness had a chance to set in. Here I am standing there, just listening to his requests and putting them to use.

If there is only one thing I could take away from my time watching him work, it would be that it's not enough to be confident in what you are doing. You can't just sound like you know what to do; the extraordinary has to be a reflex, something you don't even think about. That is the true mark of an artist is knowing your craft well enough to look at the scene and see your result.